Chapter 52
The escape was successful.
“Thank you for saving my life, Lady Leslie.”
“No, it’s just the sort of thing I’m supposed to do as a future socialite.”
Isn’t a socialite the Empress?
She shook her head, then shrugged it off.
“Lady Arellin, you’re a lady, so you should always look your best.”
“Hmm?”
“You shouldn’t play with too many gentlemen. They’ll look at you in a bad light.”
But they’re always hanging around to hang out with Pession, aren’t they?
“Thanks for the advice.”
She smirked, and Leslie’s expression hardened.
‘That’s cute.’
Jealousy or whatever, she needed help.
The twins or the Crown Prince, they were sticky and wouldn’t come off.
‘I have to save my friend!’
Aaron wanted to run away, but she held on through clenched teeth, not wanting a three-way battle between Pession and the twins.
If it weren’t for Leslie, the four of us would have ended up getting beaten and fried.
“We were supposed to have a tea party today.”
“Oh.”
“It’s a girls’ tea party.”
The mini-tea party, organized by the palace maids, was set up on the terrace of the Crown Prince’s Palace.
It was a prime spot, with warm sunshine and a view of the gardens in early summer.
“Lady Leslie, welcome!”
“I’ve been waiting for you, Lady Leslie.”
“I have a special guest with me, Lady Arellin, you all know her, don’t you?”
“Wow.”
“Everyone enjoy the tea party!”
She sat down, away from Leslie, and glanced around, thinking.
She’s noticing something new.
‘There are a lot of adults in this group.’
There were a lot of unchildlike children.
‘Is it the environment?’
Yes, it’s the environment she grew up in.
The more expectations you have, the more you can do, the more you are a child, the more you become an adult.
‘They should grow up to be a kid.’
She doesn’t even know what childlike is.
“Lady Leslie is amazing.”
“Yeah, last time.”
The kids chattered amongst themselves.
Stories she doesn’t know.
Unknowable stories.
Invisible lines were drawn so she couldn’t interrupt. The eye contact, the secretive smiles.
She just laughed at this blatant exclusion.
‘So this is what it’s all about.’
A day or two. For a day or two, it wasn’t unpleasant.
Just boring.
“Lady Arellin, I suppose you’re not used to being in this position?”
“?”
She grabs the pods as if she’s been waiting for her to say something.
When she looks up, young lady looks at her as if she’s caught her, and she laughs.
“You’re showing too much thought on your face.”
=How can you hide your expression like this?
“A lady can’t do that.”
=A lady should know how to laugh it off. Are you a sewer?
“Oh, yes. Lady Arellin didn’t have anyone to teach her this basic common sense, did she?”
=Ah, you don’t have a mum to teach you these things, do you?
This is a subtle way of saying she doesn’t have a mother.
She got to the point where they started talking amongst themselves again.
First they marginalized her, now they put her on the chopping block.
“Lady Arellin must be very close to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
=You’re that close to the Crown Prince?
“You’re constantly with him, like a nanny.”
=Is the Crown Prince your babysitter?
“How do you keep him interested? No one else has succeeded.”
=How did you do it? I’m curious.
“How long do you think the interest will last?”
= How long do you think this situation will last?
Every word was an art.
“A lady of honor would not behave like that!”
=If you are a lady of honor, stay away from the Crown Prince.
“Yes, my mother always told me that I should always behave in a respectful manner.”
=I know you didn’t learn that from your mother, but you’ll have to learn to behave yourself.
“My mother says it’s so shallow to cling to a man.”
=You’re too clingy, you look shallow.
She couldn’t help but laugh at the auto-translated socialite tone.
It’s so obvious and easy, you guys.
‘No, was it the Crown Prince who took me aside?’
“The Mubisk and the Sperom twins have been looking out for Lady Arellin a lot lately, too.”
=Aaron and the twins were next to you, too, and they were rolling their eyes.
“Is it because you’re not used to gatherings?”
=How did you do it? Did you pretend to be weak?
“You should be more careful with your behavior from now on, we’ll take care of you.”
=We’ll take care of you, but you need to keep your distance.
“I’m just worried about you.”
The circle was over. Everyone was waiting for her answer. It wasn’t ridiculous, just funny.
“Why?”
“What?”
“Why can’t you do that?”
She laughed, betraying their expectation that she would say yes, of course.
“Who, dare I say, speaks to me?”
The Duke of Halbern.
The one and only Duchess.
All that exists above is the imperial family.
Even if she were an unruly dog and left ruins wherever she went, no human being would dare to speak against her.
Only the imperial family.
But.
“Who’s going to say anything to me?”
All the mouths that had been talking excitedly shut like clams at once.
The atmosphere became silent as if a cold water had been thrown on it.
She loved this chilly atmosphere where no one could open their mouths.
She looked silently at the young lady who had looked down on her.
“Why don’t you say anything? I’m asking you.”
“…”
“Don’t my words make sense?”
They all stared at her in bewilderment. She could see their pupils fluttering as they always do when they’re talking excitedly.
“What is Young Lady saying to me, huh?”
She gulped.
Arellin heard someone swallow hard.
Arellin looked at her nonchalantly and she immediately turned pale, making her feel ridiculous.
First you’re arguing with me, and now you’re freaking out, like you didn’t see me coming.
‘And you think I’m just going to sit there and listen to all of that?’
Leslie, who had been watching, spoke up.
“Lady Arellin, I think that’s enough.”
“Why would I do that?”
“…”
“Lady Leslie, you’ve been quiet the whole time, so you might as well stay quiet this time.”
Leslie, who was pursing her lips to say something, hesitated for a moment under my gaze, then shut up.
“Why doesn’t everyone just shut up and answer me, I’m so curious, there’s no one to talk to.”
She was smiling sweetly, but her tone was cold.
“You’d think I was a villain. I asked a legitimate question.”
The situation was fractured beyond words, and they all stood there, unsure of what to do in this situation.
Arellin looked at Young Lady, who was the first to speak up and the one who had the most to say, seeing that the initiative had completely shifted to her.
“Young Lady.”
“Yes.”
“Name.”
“I’m Nadelli.”
“Your father’s title.”
“Viscount.”
“Nadelli, do you know, this is a social gathering, and if we met at a normal social party, she wouldn’t speak to me, I dare say.”
“Ugh.”
Nadelli pursed her lips, blushing bright red.
“Thanks for the advice, but.”
She wiped the smile from her lips.
“I never gave you permission to advise Young Lady.”
She heard someone gasp under their breath.
“You do realize, don’t you, that advice from an unqualified person is presumptuous, a sin of words?”
“Uhh…”
Unable to retort with a single word, Nadelli shuddered and then burst into tears.
Watching her cry was pathetic, but at the same time, it didn’t move her.
The time she spent hiding and crying alone was more overwhelming.
‘They were just like this.’
Why did she want to be close to them so badly?
She was lonely.
She wanted friends.
She wanted someone to play with because she was weak and had to stay in the mansion all the time, and she thought she wouldn’t be lonely if she had a friend.
But the reality was different, and she only had people who knew her favor.
No matter how kind, smiling, and friendly she was, she was alone.
But she wanted to have friends, because it’s nice.
She didn’t want to be alone, because everyone was fine.
The Arellin of her past life, before her memories returned, was the child she used to be.
‘I just gave up.’
She gave up.
How could you look at her so differently?
Then, and now, she is still Arellin of Halbern.
“Huhuhu, Hmph.”
As she watched Nadelli weep at the mere mention of the word, she heard the commotion and the palace maids approached.
“What is the matter?”
The other young ladies stammered.
All eyes focused on her.
“Lady?”
The palace maids approached me.
“I was giving Lady Nadelli the truth a little prematurely.”
“What?”
“That nothing in the world is solved by crying.”
She stood up, leaving the maids with blank looks on their faces.
“Well, if you enjoyed the tea party, I’ll be up first.”
“Oh, yes.”
She’s not good at making friends.
